Streaming: Qobuz, DLNA, UPnP etc
- Thread starter Tony L
- Start date
vinylslug
pfm Member
I have literally just finished a tidal trial and have embarked on a Qobuz one. I was impressed with Tidal generally and considered just subscribing to it - but… as curious as ever I’m giving Qobuz a go.
I found myself often impressed with the clarity of Tidal and thinking how far streaming has come in the last few years, but with Qobuz I’ve just spent all morning listening to music without giving a second thought to where it’s coming from. So for me I’ll be plumping for a Qobuz subscription at the end of the trial.
krenzler
pfm Member
It does sound a bit like a fighter jet doesn't it?
Tony L
Administrator
You do realise the DSX cost £7.5k when new? That price level may be chicken-feed to you, but it is outside my usual hi-fi spend-range. Just how much better it sounds than the still remarkably good Poly/Mojo is not insignificant. That is what I’m chasing, and sorry, but I can’t just go out and buy a Dave, or even a Hugo TT, and I suspect that is what I’d need to do to equal what I’m hearing here. I’m certainly going to continue pushing on until say a nice QBD76HDSD (the DAC upon which the DSX is based) crops up at a price I am prepared to pay.
PS I now have a Tidal trial!
John
Rack’em Up!
A ten-year-old streaming device may face several limitations compared to more recent models due to innovations in technology and features. Some of these limitations include:
1. **Connectivity**: Older streaming devices may lack support for newer wireless standards such as Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) or Bluetooth 5.0, limiting their wireless range, speed, and compatibility with modern routers and devices.
2. **Streaming Protocols**: Older streaming devices may not support the latest streaming protocols or codecs, limiting their ability to stream high-resolution audio or video content efficiently. This can result in lower audio or video quality or compatibility issues with newer streaming services.
3. **User Interface**: Older streaming devices may have outdated or less intuitive user interfaces, making it more challenging to navigate and access content compared to newer models with more modern and responsive interfaces.
4. **Processing Power**: Older streaming devices may have slower processors or less memory, leading to longer loading times, buffering issues, or limitations on the number of concurrent streams or devices that can be supported.
5. **Compatibility**: Older streaming devices may lack compatibility with newer streaming services or apps, limiting the range of content that can be accessed or requiring workarounds to access certain services.
6. **Hardware Features**: Older streaming devices may lack hardware features such as support for high-resolution audio formats, HDR (High Dynamic Range) video, or Dolby Atmos surround sound, limiting their ability to deliver the best possible audiovisual experience.
Overall, while a ten-year-old streaming device may still function adequately for basic streaming tasks, it may not offer the same level of performance, features, or compatibility with modern technology compared to more recent models.
1. **Connectivity**: Older streaming devices may lack support for newer wireless standards such as Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) or Bluetooth 5.0, limiting their wireless range, speed, and compatibility with modern routers and devices.
2. **Streaming Protocols**: Older streaming devices may not support the latest streaming protocols or codecs, limiting their ability to stream high-resolution audio or video content efficiently. This can result in lower audio or video quality or compatibility issues with newer streaming services.
3. **User Interface**: Older streaming devices may have outdated or less intuitive user interfaces, making it more challenging to navigate and access content compared to newer models with more modern and responsive interfaces.
4. **Processing Power**: Older streaming devices may have slower processors or less memory, leading to longer loading times, buffering issues, or limitations on the number of concurrent streams or devices that can be supported.
5. **Compatibility**: Older streaming devices may lack compatibility with newer streaming services or apps, limiting the range of content that can be accessed or requiring workarounds to access certain services.
6. **Hardware Features**: Older streaming devices may lack hardware features such as support for high-resolution audio formats, HDR (High Dynamic Range) video, or Dolby Atmos surround sound, limiting their ability to deliver the best possible audiovisual experience.
Overall, while a ten-year-old streaming device may still function adequately for basic streaming tasks, it may not offer the same level of performance, features, or compatibility with modern technology compared to more recent models.
Tony L
Administrator
John, have you been replaced by a ChatGPT bot? Whatever, please stop spamming that sort of shite onto my website!
PS I’m an ex-network engineer who used to own a digital recording studio. I understand the technology here. Right down to packet level in some cases! I do know roughly what I’m doing. I’m approaching this with the mindset of overclocking a graphics card or whatever. I do understand the DSX is a fairly old LAN audio player, but one with a simply superb DAC and I’ve managed to get it to work pretty well as a WAN streamer so far. I’m doing ok!
PS I’m an ex-network engineer who used to own a digital recording studio. I understand the technology here. Right down to packet level in some cases! I do know roughly what I’m doing. I’m approaching this with the mindset of overclocking a graphics card or whatever. I do understand the DSX is a fairly old LAN audio player, but one with a simply superb DAC and I’ve managed to get it to work pretty well as a WAN streamer so far. I’m doing ok!
I couldn't agree less with @John I'm afraid.
I bought a new Denafrips Ares II DAC for around £800 together with an iFi ZEN Stream for around £350... both "brand new" out the box.
I then bought a Linn Klimax Renew DS/0, also for around £800... which was SO much better than the iFi/Denafrips combination it was hard to believe.
(I ended up buying a second one for my office system too... it was that good).
Sure, the original Linn Klimax DS price was £9,600... but the "modern technology" argument for streamers just doesn't pass muster for me.
(My Klimax DS boards date from 2007 BTW!)
All IMHO of course... but based on my direct experience.
Chris
I bought a new Denafrips Ares II DAC for around £800 together with an iFi ZEN Stream for around £350... both "brand new" out the box.
I then bought a Linn Klimax Renew DS/0, also for around £800... which was SO much better than the iFi/Denafrips combination it was hard to believe.
(I ended up buying a second one for my office system too... it was that good).
Sure, the original Linn Klimax DS price was £9,600... but the "modern technology" argument for streamers just doesn't pass muster for me.
(My Klimax DS boards date from 2007 BTW!)
All IMHO of course... but based on my direct experience.
Chris
It's a shame there isn't a Linux/RPi solution to steam all audio output over DLNA as you could then have an always on stream to the DSX and cast to that device. A dedicated android device / app might be able to do the same thing - https://www.airmusic.app/
Guessing it might just be Quboz though.
Guessing it might just be Quboz though.
Tony L
Administrator
Yes, I’m sure there is a way of doing it (effectively adding a pre-fetch buffer/cache), but it would likely fall foul of all manner of DRM encoding. I bet that is why it doesn’t exist commercially!
Anyway, Tidal is up and running and hasn’t dropped out yet. I think I’ll cancel Qobuz tomorrow, but I will certainly be signing-up properly to one or the other. I’ve actually got two months of Tidal for £2, so if nothing else I’ll be three months ahead! I have no guilt as I pay about £100 a month (at least!) on new vinyl, so I’m paying my way with the artists. I’m currently listening to the new Justice album Hyperdrama, and there’s a copy of it on the floor a few feet away (sounds great by the way, a superb sounding record, 50 minutes cut over four sides).
PS Fascinating comparing the different interfaces and profiling algorithms between Tidal and Qobuz. Very different. Tidal really tried to drill-down on my taste and seems to want to curate playlists etc (which I have very little interest in to be honest). I found Qobuz new release page the most use for what I want, though Tidal seems to offer similar.
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In my experience, yes, slightly different.
vinylslug
pfm Member
Yes. They sound different.
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
You could feasibly use a rasp pi with dig I/O hat to feed both your cdp and streamed content digitally via the pi to the single dac input on the DSX. I'm pretty sure the hifiberry digi I/O will stream via i2s from the pi and from optical/coax input to optical/coax out. So you could have LMS/material skin running on the pi acting as the streamer into the DSX, with the cdp digi out also running through that digi I/O hat. No idea how source switching occurs there though.